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Solar Slashes Energy Bills for Chiddingly Village Hall

A roof solar system donated by Solarcentury has been installed on Chiddingly village hall and will cut the hall’s annual energy bills by an estimated 64%[1].

The 4kWp system comprising 16 panels was connected to the grid earlier this month and is now generating clean solar electricity.

A survey was carried out to ensure the roof would be able to support the weight of the panels and that the panels could be installed at the required angle. The panels sit atop the south facing roof and cannot be seen when approaching the hall; they can only be spotted from neighbouring fields.

Stephen Tolhurst, Chairman of village hall Management Committee said, “The panels were installed quickly and easily with no interruption to the running of the Hall. The donation from Solarcentury is hugely beneficial because it means we can offset the Hall’s energy bills and put the money we’re saving towards improving the hall, for the benefit of all the various local community groups who use the hall every week.

We are also pleased that the panels will help us reduce the environmental impact of the hall – we’d much rather use solar electricity rather than burning fossil fuels. We’re a fairly green-minded community; some people are already using energy saving measures in their homes; we have a recycling service; and a few people even have their own solar panels on their roofs, in gardens or fields.”

A display unit in the hall means local people can see how much electricity is being generated by the panels and the amount of carbon dioxide saved as a result of using solar electricity rather than fossil fuels. The panels have a lifespan of around 40 years, so will benefit future generations of local people too.

Jason Arnold, Installation Manager at Solarcentury said, “Bringing solar to local communities by installing solar systems on local community buildings such as Chiddingly village hall is a great way to help people understand the benefits of clean solar electricity. The display in the hall clearly shows how much energy is being produced, so people using the hall know that when they do things like turn on the lights or boil the kettle, it’s being powered in the daytime by the solar panels.”

[1] Based on total energy cost for the hall’s 2013/14 electricity bill